The term “steelworks” therefore designates in general, here, both the installation for creating the semifinished product from a melt and the installation for processing the semifinished product. The term “steelworks” is in this context not to be interpreted as restricted to steel-processing installations in which only steel is generated and processed. On the contrary, this is also understood as meaning installations in which other metals are processed.
In a continuous casting installation, a metal melt is poured continuously via a ladle into and through a mold, as it is known, for example a plate mold or a tubular mold. Downstream of the mold, the molten metal strand is guided with the aid of segments, as they are known, and simultaneously cooled, until the metal strand has solidified. By separation, for example, slabs, cogged ingots or billets, as they are known, are obtained. Sheets are generated from the slabs, for example by rolling out first in a hot-rolling mill train and then by cold-rolling.
Hot-rolling may in this case take place directly after continuous casting or at a later time point and at another location.
In a steelworks of this type, the components which come into contact with the metal to be processed, for example the viscous melt or even the solidified melt, are exposed to a very high stress. On account of very high temperatures, this is a very high thermal alternating stress. At the same time, these components are also exposed to considerable mechanical stress. In particular, the rolls in a rolling mill have to apply considerable mechanical forces. Moreover, in the treatment of the melt in a continuous casting installation, the components are exposed to a highly corrosive environment, since corrosive fluxes are used for the melt and, at the same time, water is employed in order to cool the melt.
On account of these considerable loads, these components have only a limited useful life and have to be exchanged regularly.